23 Days
by Rini-Rose
Summary: He had 23 days left to live, and he spends them just so, he has no more regrets. Long live L.


23 Days.

L turned from the computer screen and sighed, rubbing his eyes slowly. He was tired, but the Insomniac couldn't bring himself to actually fall asleep. He'd sleep soon enough.

22 Days.

Touching the picture or Watari, L thought for a moment before pocketing it. Leaving his coat on the couch he left the suite. The cold couldn't rival the cold in his soul.

21 Days.

L sighed, hanging up the small metallic cell phone that read 'President of the United States' in black ink on the back in L's script. Tossing it over his shoulder, it landed with a thud in the trash can that was filled with other cell phones with other names written on the back. He was tying up those last few loose ends.

20 Days.

L stared out the window, looking at the rolling clouds with something similar to curiosity. How could such simple white puffs turn into something so dangerous, so harmful? L didn't understand. He was running out of time to understand.

19 Days.

"Hello Yagami. To what do I owe this pleasure?" L smiled at the man in the doorway. Captain Yagami nodded, returning the smile before moving to sit in front of the detective he had worked with.

"I just came by to tell you we are tying up the last few loose ends of the Kira case." L nodded at the good news.

"Wonderful. And Captain? I'm sorry." Yagami bowed his head and sighed. L ignored the painful throbbing in his chest.

18 Days.

Masuda stopped by, but L ignored his mindless chatter in favor of watching the rain fall from the sky, pounding the pavement and drenching the beings out in the downpour. L stood from his kneeling position on the couch and moved to the window, opening it and letting the rain soak him to the bone. With a cry of surprise, Masuda shot up and closed the window.

"Are you mad? You'll get sick!" He reprimanded. L just sighed and stuck a lollipop in his mouth.

17 Days.

A detective's work will only be done when he is dead, until then, he is the sole hope of bringing justice. L lived by those words Watari had said to him as a child, keeping them at the front of his mind. Standing before Watari's grave, tears pricked his eyes, but L refused to let them out. He knew Watari would die eventually, so there was no use crying about it.

16 Days.

Why was the sky blue? Because the water molecules in the air reflected every color on the color spectrum except blue. Why did bread rise? Yeast released a gas that caused the bread to rise. There was a logical explanation for everything. So, why could he not find any reasonable explanation for why Watari had died? Why couldn't only he have died?

15 Days.

L moved through the crowds downtown, watching people flow through store fronts and food stands. They all looked so happy. A little girl ran past him and he smiled slightly. She was so full of life.

14 Days.

Two weeks left. Two more weeks of wondering and questioning life itself before he himself would never know life again.

13 Days.

It was sunny out, the light bathing everything it hit in indescribable beauty. The golden rays hit my pale and lifeless face like a breath of fresh air and I smiled. Today was certainly a nice day to be alive.

12 Days.

My successor had yet to be found, from that school Watari founded so long ago. I needed someone as brilliant and clever as I to take my place. This world had many evils in it, and even with me gone, it still needed some good sole to protect the innocent and destroy the evil.

11 Days.

Even now I don't regret my decision. I still won, I beat Kira at his own game, that much I was sure of. The price? Two lives. One was fair, while the other was unjust.

'_Soon Watari. Soon.'_

10 Days.

Did it ever occur to me why Watari would always beat me in chess? Yes, and the natural answer is because he is more clever then I. He made me who I am today, he was my teacher, my guardian, my dearest and closest friend. He was a confidant, a person who was able to somewhat sooth my insomnia. Did I miss him? No. I would seem him again.

9 days.

Time flies quickly when you're having fun. But time does not move any faster, nor does it move slower whether your having fun or not. Time is an indescribable thing, and it was something I was running out of.

8 Days.

Some wonder why I hunch, why I have insomnia, why I eat only sweets. Would you be able to stand straight with the weight of the world and everyone's expectations to be great and flawless on your shoulders? Could you sleep when every time you close your eyes you see dead bodies of innocent people? If the world was so bitter and cruel that you had to coat everything in sugar to make things sweet?

No. And neither can I.

7 Days.

They have found my successor finally. His letter is N, and his name is Near. I wish him luck with the work that is set out for him. It will not be easy, but he can do it. I haven't ever met him, and I never will, but to him I send this:

Near,

Your work with be hard and thankless. I wish you luck in the future. Someone dear to me has passed along a piece of information I must pass to you. Remember these words. Live by them.

"A detective's work will only be done when he is dead, until then, he is the sole hope of bringing justice." ~Watari

Good Luck.

~L

6 Days.

Not much time left. I stood in the window, staring down at the bustling world below me. Everyone was so happy, so clueless to the despairs of life. But that was okay, because that's how it's supposed to be. That is life.

5 Days.

I smiled as I looked around my darkening room. Night has fallen and I may just have to give this sleeping thing one last go. The bed felt foreign, the covers trapping, and the silence disturbing. I got up. No, never mind. Sleeping was not for me, not in this life time.

4 Days.

It was raining again as I walked into the candy store. The man at the cash register smiled as I set a huge basket of candies and sweets on the counter.

"You have kids?" He said with a smile, ringing me up.

"No, why would you think that?" I questioned.

"Because most people only buy this much candy if it's for their kids." I smiled.

"No, it's for me."

"Man, your sure going to make yourself sick."

"That's okay. I die in less than four days." I said as I exited the store, my candy in tow.

3 Days.

I had planned my funeral. No people, no ceremony, just a quick cremation then a scattering of my ashes by Captain Yagami. Something small and quaint. I had no family anyways.

2 Days.

Masuda showed up again. He really is an idiot. I listened to him babble as I ate a piece of chocolate, staring at nothing in particular.

"Are you even listening?" I blinked then smiled at him.

"Not at all.

1 Day.

I really will miss everyone, I believe. If where I'm going leaves room to miss those I've left.

0 Days.

I looked up as Captain Yagami walked in again.

"Hello." I smiled at him. His eyes were tight, and he seemed grim. I sighed. "Do not be upset this is a natural part of life."

"It shouldn't have happened this way." Yagami's voice broke. I shook my head.

"But it did. No use being upset or distressed over it."

"L, I want you to know that I feel you are a son to me." I blinked as he smiled and turned away. "Good-bye." I nodded with a smile at him and he shut the door quietly behind him.

I picked up Watari's picture and bit into my candy bar. "Good-bye indeed."

The clock struck midnight and the candy bar fell to the couch. The picture floated onto it, and a pale hand landed softly on top, a smile of the owners face.

**~OWARI~**

**Every wonder what L did in his last 23 days of life? Well, there you go! Please review! It makes me want to actually write more and update!**


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